We must open our eyes
to see the beauty.
Listening through clamor
we can hear silence.
By reaching out to others
we can touch, and feel love.
It is by inhalng deeply
we can smell the Earth
By consuming a tear
we can taste compassion.

How did we come by
the knowledge of these senses?
We are created with them all,
but learn from the experience
of those before us

We are tantalized by the visions of
light, color, and darkness.
We are made alert by hearing a child's cry,
a lover's sigh, and our own gasp.
We are made aware of strength,
by touching the bark of a tree.
We learn the power of hunger
by the smell of fresh baked breads.
We quench our dry mouth and body
with the taste of clean, cool water.

Take moments each and every day
to appreciate and acknowledge
our powers of perception:
Sight, Hearing, Touch, Smell, and Taste

Of all of these you've written about, emotions are the result of what our senses tell us. One of the things that seems to be overlooked is that all animals large and small have emotions, too. If we are empathetic enough, we can see it. Some of these animals have powers far beyond ours that we have used and abused over time. Once we understand our interdependence, all of these powers can be brought to best use. In the meantime, I long for the smell of my mother's fresh-baked bread with butter melting over it.